Research - Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo (full name: Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón) (6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her numerous representations, self-portraits, and works propelled by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. With inspiration from the country's well known culture, she took a naïve people approach to her artwork to investigate questions of character, postcolonialism, sex, status, and race in Mexican society. Her depictions regularly had strong personal components and blended realism with fantasy. As well as belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl development, which looked for to characterize a Mexican personality, Kahlo has been portrayed as a surrealist or enchanted realist. She is very well known for her portrayals of chronic pain.

Born to a German father and a mestiza mother, Kahlo went through most of her childhood and grown-up life at La Casa Azul, her family domestic in Coyoacán – presently open as the Frida Kahlo Gallery. In spite of the fact that she was crippled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of 18, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery, she returned to her childhood interest in art with the idea of becoming an artist.

She is well known for her work of self representation, isolation and pain; "I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best." as she had said. Her work remained obscure for decades before it was discovered by political figures in the 1970s, following her death in 1954. By the 1990s she had become a figure for feminism and LGBTQ+ rights as well as a recognised figure in art history.

In my work, I will take inspiration from Frida Kahlo as an insight into her experiences of chronic pain, loneliness and self-portrayal. The pain she suffers and shows through her art is very captivating and moving, and I think it is still relevant, as pain is feeling that can change you a lot (and affect your life) no matter your age.

My project is also about life as a teenager, which can be a very painful and confusing time for people as they transition into adulthood. Frida Kahlo suffered a bus accident at the age of 18, which is in her teenage years, and this experience shines through her work. I feel that this expression offers some empathy to those in that age group nowadays that struggle mental and physical health problems.

Reference list

Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.). Frieda and Diego Rivera - Frida Kahlo. [online] Available at: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/frieda-and-diego-rivera/pAGW_uPdEDd_uw?hl=en-GB&ms=%7B%22x%22%3A0.5%2C%22y%22%3A0.5%2C%22z%22%3A8.636718240074234%2C%22size%22%3A%7B%22width%22%3A3.2673256578947387%2C%22height%22%3A1.2375000000000007%7D%7D [Accessed 13 Apr. 2021].

Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.). The Broken Column - Frida Kahlo. [online] Available at: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-broken-column/EgGMbMFBQrAe3Q?hl=en-GB&ms=%7B%22x%22%3A0.5%2C%22y%22%3A0.5%2C%22z%22%3A9.266528023797623%2C%22size%22%3A%7B%22width%22%3A3.362336251518019%2C%22height%22%3A1.2375000000000007%7D%7D [Accessed 13 Apr. 2021].

Henri Matisse. (2009). The Two Fridas, 1939 by Frida Kahlo. [online] Available at: https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-two-fridas.jsp [Accessed 13 Apr. 2021].

Luiselli, V. (2018). Frida Kahlo and the birth of Fridolatry. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jun/11/frida-kahlo-fridolatry-artist-myth [Accessed 13 Apr. 2021].

Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Frida Kahlo. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo [Accessed 13 Apr. 2021].

www.artyfactory.com. (n.d.). Paintings by Frida Kahlo. [online] Available at: https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/great-artists/frida-kahlo/frida-kahlo.htm [Accessed 13 Apr. 2021].

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